Young and Beautiful
by Vampire Queen of NOLA
Summary: AU/AH Caroline Forbes is a small-town girl headed off to the Big Apple for college. Niklaus Mikaelson is a native to the city, determined to start a career with his art and with absolutely no interest whatsoever in anything he'd call a distraction- but when Caroline ends up the roommate of his brother's fiance and his sister, he finds that she's the one distraction he can't ignore.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey everyone! So this is the first fic I'm writing from sheer inspiration from how much I've seen people asking about college fics. ****_Young and Beautiful_**** is an AH/AU fic set in New York City, at the Harrison College of the Arts. (Fictional college, think a combination of Julliard and SVA.) A Klaroline-centric fic, if you don't like slow burn relationships or OCs, this probably isn't the fic for you- but if you do, I hope you enjoy it! Expect to see everyone from the Original family, as well as some favorites from our Mystic Falls crew!**

* * *

Moving day was absolutely insane. Caroline had spent the whole of the summer planning every detail out, down to where they'd get lunch and what time her parents were supposed to leave and go back home- of course, she should have factored in more time to be flexible, because every single time her parents were stuck in the same room, they started fighting. Liz and Bill Forbes had been separated since Caroline was ten, and there was still animosity between them after the divorce. It _really_ didn't help that Daddy had decided bringing Steven along was a good idea. (As if.) Between refereeing their fights, trying to get unpacked, and handling the tears from the both of them, she was downright shocked she'd managed to get everything all settled before her two roommates showed up.

She'd collapsed on one of the three beds in the dorm after her parents finally left, huffing a sigh and staring at the ceiling. She should really be excited, but the blonde was bordering on exhausted, and her mood had been soured by yet another fight with her boyfriend. (Who, by the way, had completely ditched college in favor of hitchhiking across the country, which was the stupidest thing she'd ever heard.) He'd barely answered her calls and texts all summer, and she'd begged him to at least come see her for moving day, but he'd pulled another bullshit excuse. God, she was three seconds away from dumping him. Two years was a long time to be with someone, and she did love him, but she had reached the end of her rope about three months ago. She just hated being alone, so she stayed.

Pretty shitty excuse.

When the door opened, she pushed herself up, running a hand through her hair to make it lay a bit nicer as a brunette backed into the room, in deep conversation with whoever was behind her. "Yes, Elijah, I _know_, but if your brother had been a bit more motivated, we would have had more time. We'll just drop our things off, and then we can go out to di- oh. Hi." She'd finally turned, seeing that Caroline was watching her, and she offered a tight smile. "You're our roommate then?" She stepped into the room to drop the bags she held on one of the spare beds, closely followed by a blonde. "I'm Katherine, but you can call me Kat. That's Rebekah."

"Bekah, actually," the other girl said as she stepped inside, scrutinizing Caroline for what felt like an eternity before settling her own bags to the floor beside the final bed. Inexplicably, Caroline suddenly felt like she was under some sort of silent test, so she stood up, offering a bright smile.

"I'm Caroline. You guys got here a bit late, huh? I can totally help you unpack if you want. Whenever you get back from... wherever it is you're going." No nerves, no squirming under the hard stares of the two women- _hello_, she had been head cheerleader, Miss Mystic Falls, the head of countless committees. She did _not_ get intimidated easily; apparently, that was enough to pass their standards, and they exchanged a look before offering her warmer smiles. Rebekah gestured towards the door, outside of which three men were gathered. It was almost funny, seeing how different they all seemed, all watching her with varying expressions.

"These are three of my brothers. 'Lijah's in the suit, he's also Kat's fiance. Then the bastard trying to hide in the back is Kol- probably wants to sneak away and cause trouble- and the serious-looking one is Finn." She pointed each out in turn, Elijah offering her a polite smile and nod as Kol scoffed in the back.

"Just seeing how easy one can sneak in here, sister. Can't have you acting the whore yet again, you're here to learn."

"Kol," the third brother warned in a deadpan tone, staring at the floor. (God, he looked far too serious. And awkward in his jeans and t-shirt. Or just awkward in general.) Caroline was intrigued by the fact that both Kol and Rebekah had accents, but Finn didn't seem to. Did Elijah?

"Nice to meet all of you. Which one made you late?" she asked, a slight smirk tugging at her lips as she looked at Rebekah. The other blonde had stepped past her into the bathroom, checking her hair, but she paused long enough to shoot a look at Caroline through her reflection. It wasn't unfriendly, but it _was_ guarded.

"None of them, it was Nik. Pray you don't meet him. He's a right ass."

"Niklaus simply has different priorities," Elijah explained, and Caroline turned to offer him a confused look. (No accent on him, either. Weird.) "He likes to think we should all go by his personal schedule, which, of course, we cannot. Would you like to join us for dinner?"

Finn finally looked up, and his expression reminded her of someone who was constipated. Caroline nearly laughed but, not wanting to be rude, managed to avoid it. Kol had leaned forward to peer around Elijah, his eyes trailing over her slowly until she felt fully uncomfortable, a wolfish grin plastered on his face.

"Oh, but she _is_ a pretty little thing. Yes, please, join us," he murmured, flicking his gaze back to hers.

"Kol." Was that the only word in Finn's vocabulary? With a sigh, Caroline watched as Rebekah moved past her towards the door, waving for Katherine to come with her. The brunette hopped off of her bed, tossing a look towards Caroline.

"What better way to get to know each other? The boys are paying anyways. Come on, it'll be fun."

And that was how Caroline ended up at one of the finest restaurants in New York City, sipping champagne she was a few years too young for and making new friends out of the girls she'd be rooming with. It was an interesting experience, to say the least. Elijah was all manners, Finn was silent as the grave, and Kol was a bit of a lecherous dick- but to their credit, both Katherine and Rebekah managed to keep Caroline entertained for the whole of the meal. She felt absolutely horrible for not pitching in for the bill when all was said and done, even through the haze the drinks had her in, but Elijah had been firm in the fact that none of them were allowed to pay a single cent.

Apparently, all of them were natives in the Big Apple, and they were vastly interested in Mystic Falls. Rebekah was majoring in drama, just like Caroline, while Katherine had gone the music route- the only other family member (as they clearly considered Kat family) who was going to the college was Niklaus, but he never showed up during the dinner. Both women said it was for the best. (_"He can be a moody little prat, and you'd hate him, trust me. I love my brother, but he's such a dick that I prefer to love him from a distance,"_ Rebekah explained.) The alcohol had Caroline's lips looser than usual, and she gladly indulged them in everything they wanted to know, despite feeling that this was some sort of test.

She explained that she'd never been outside of her tiny little hometown, but that she was excited to see everything the city had to offer. She told them about her asshole of a boyfriend Tyler, causing Kol to pout for a moment before he began suggesting different ways to get Tyler to stop being a jerk. (Most of which were violent and had her cringing while the others rolled their eyes.) When he offered to show her the city, both Rebekah and Katherine said no and Rebekah lobbed a roll at his head. It was strange, but they seemed to be staking a sort of claim on her- _"We'll show her the city, you don't know where to shop." "She's our roommate and she doesn't need you trying to get in her pants." _- and by the end of the night, she felt like she'd made two lasting friends, at the very least. Elijah was the one to ensure they got back to their dorms safely, and they all spent the next hour half-assedly unpacking and talking about upcoming classes and the like.

Of course, once they had the bare essentials set out, the alcohol had _really_ set in, and they all abandoned the venture in favor of sleep, promising they'd work together the next day to get everything finished and then go out shopping. Once she was curled up in bed, Caroline grabbed her phone from the nightstand, sleepily checking her texts. Three from her mother. One from her father. None from Tyler- of course. She tried to call him, but when he didn't pick up, she chose to only leave a two-word voicemail that seemed like a wildly good idea. (The next day, she'd blame it on being drunk.) "Fuck you." With that, she plugged her phone back in to charge and buried herself in her blankets, falling into a surprisingly restful sleep. Day one had gone horribly wrong at first, but thanks to her new roommates, she managed to fall asleep with a smile on her face.

College was going to be _awesome._


	2. Chapter 2

The next day started out horribly. She couldn't place if the pounding was from in her head or some outside source at first, her hangover making the whole waking-up process a bit difficult. "Go 'way," came her disgruntled groan, directed at the noise and whatever the hell its source was. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like the noise wanted to listen; there was a brief reprieve and a pause before it started in again, accompanied by an accented voice laced with irritation.

"Bekah, Mother will _not_ stop calling me- would you wake up and answer her texts before she has a heart attack? Bloody hell, I'm s'posed to have the morning free, but instead, I get to track you down." Caroline managed to open an eye, shooting a bleary look towards her sleeping roommates before releasing another groan and dragging herself out of bed. She didn't know the voice, but hadn't Rebekah said something about a fourth brother? What was his name? Nat? Nik? Something like that. Ugh, way too early and way too hungover. Not good for the thought processes. She half-shuffled, half stalked towards the door (or so she liked to think, but honestly, such a thing didn't seem possible, so it was more of an irritated shuffle) and yanked it open, prepared to tear into the guy.

He was scowling, giving himself the look of an irate angel, a sketchbook under one arm and charcoal-stained fingers already reaching towards the knob. To his credit, he managed to look thoroughly surprised when the blonde that answered the door wasn't his sister. Caroline, on the other hand, went from annoyed to gaping at him openly for a long moment before snapping herself back to the present. He was ridiculously attractive, a trait that seemed to show itself in nearly every Mikaelson sibling- but she shouldn't be staring. He was supposed to be the jerk brother, wasn't he? Suddenly vividly aware of her bedraggled and pajama-wearing self, she crossed her arms over her chest and shot him a glare. Annoyingly enough, he matched it instantly with a small smirk, leaning against the doorframe. "Well, you're not Bekah."

"Gee, thanks, Captain Obvious. I'm her roommate. We were out late with your brothers, so you can tell your mother she's _sleeping_ and screw off, kay?" She made to shut the door in his face, her roommates' warnings ringing in her ears, but he pushed off of the doorframe and stopped the door with a hand, arching a brow.

"Now, that isn't very nice. Don't I at least get an introduction?"

"Nope," the blonde replied quickly, popping the 'p' for emphasis. This only made his smirk widen as he watched her stubbornly turn her chin up, waiting for him to release the door. "Now let me shut the door."

"Oh, come now, sweetheart. You're staying with my sister and future sister-in-law, we'll be seeing a lot of each other, I'm sure. We should at least try to play nice, hm?" His hand moved away from the door, leaving a few smudges from the dark stains on his fingers, but it was quickly replaced with his foot acting as a doorstop. "Let's try again. My name is Niklaus, but you can call me Klaus." For a long moment, they stayed as they were, silence reigning supreme as he watched her with that unfalteringly cocky and amused expression on his face. Finally, she sighed, rolling her eyes.

"If I tell you my name, will you go?" He nodded. "Caroline. There. You know my name. Now shoo."

"Caroline," he repeated softly, and something about it made the blonde feel suddenly uncomfortable- but not in a bad way. _Ugh, no, definitely in a bad way, it has to be._ Klaus pulled his foot back, the wry smirk transforming into an infuriatingly charming grin. "A pleasure. I hope-"

Caroline didn't hear the last of what he was saying- she'd slammed the door in his face.

Once she'd collapsed in bed once more, she heard a soft laugh from the other side of the room, and she lifted her head to find Rebekah pulling herself into a sitting position. She was _grinning_ as she wrote out a text message, taking her time in sending it before meeting Caroline's eyes.

"I hear you met Nik." Rebekah looked far too amused as she spoke. "He's your regular 'tortured' artist. I'm surprised he was so nice to you. Normally, he's cruel to pretty girls more so than to anyone else."

"He's irritatingly cocky. I could practically _feel_ his ego, ugh," Caroline replied, letting her head fall back on her pillow. "Though... he didn't really seem like a total ass. I mean, to be fair."

"You met him for five seconds. Trust me, he's not a nice guy." _Not normally_. The unspoken words hung between them as Katherine seemed to burrow further under her covers, quite possibly to escape the voices of the other two. In retaliation (because no way would she suffer the curse of the hangover with just Bekah) Caroline grabbed her pillow and lobbed it at the lump under Katherine's covers, causing her to curse and emerge with her hair going everywhere. "Well, good morning, sleeping beauty."

"_How_ are you not hungover?" Katherine griped, rubbing at her eyes. "Ugh, water, need water. And pills. Lots of pills."

"Need hangover rehab," Caroline agreed, flopping back and shielding her eyes with an arm. "We have so much work to do today."

"I vote we do the shopping first. Oh, and I'm not hungover because I didn't drink, girls. Only you two did, and a bit too much, might I add." Rebekah spoke as if the dull throbbing in the front of Caroline's skull wasn't enough to tell her that. Growing up as a sheriff's daughter, she'd never been one to truly break the rules all that often for fear of her mother catching her. She'd drank at a few parties, and one night, when she was feeling particularly down, she'd gotten completely wasted at the Mystic Grill, but it wasn't a regular thing. Therefore, her tolerance wasn't exactly high. One of the beds creaked, and a few moments later, light flooded the room, leaving both her and Katherine cursing and burying themselves under their blankets- Rebekah had probably just throw the curtains open. "Anyone else want the shower first? No? All mine, then."

While the blonde would have argued with her, she wasn't willing to escape her covers just yet, and her phone began ringing as though to head off any complaints she might have. She groped blindly from under the blankets until she found it on the nightstand, answering with a distinct snip in her tone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, babe, it's me." And her mood went down further. Suddenly, the ache in her head took a backseat to angry girlfriend mode, and her fingers tightened around her phone.

"Seriously?! Ugh, no, Tyler, I am not in the mood for your pathetic apologies." She hung up on him, tossing her phone onto the floor and determinedly tugging her blankets away. Kat had crept out from under her own covers to shut the curtains again, and she turned a bleary stare towards Caroline, confused. "Okay, we are going to have a girls day. No annoying asshole brothers, no dick boyfriends, just us. And we are gonna look _hot_." Kat arched a brow, clearly intrigued.

"Uhm. Trouble in paradise, blondie?" she asked, an attempt at a sneaky dig for information- but what could Caroline say? That for the whole of the summer, she'd had maybe three conversations with Tyler that lasted more than two minutes? That she hadn't seen him since graduation? That she knew the relationship was failing but refused to let go? How about _no_. She didn't want to get into that, not right now. Instead, she pulled herself out of bed, going to the minifridge and pulling out two bottled waters, one for herself and one that she tossed to Katherine.

"Lots. But that's not what today's gonna be about. I need time away from thoughts of the male gender and I _need_ new shoes." At that, Katherine grinned, taking a few long drinks of her water before nodding.

"Well, that can definitely be arranged."


	3. Chapter 3

For the next three weeks, things were normal- kind of. In all honesty, Caroline wasn't certain what normal was for college life. She went to classes (many of which were with Rebekah, to her delight) and created a study schedule for herself. She went out with Rebekah and Katherine in her free time, indulging in whatever they might want to do. She traded intermittent texts with Tyler, who told her he would make up for being such an asshole, and she caved to forgive him yet again. Every Friday night, it seemed as though there were 'family plans' for the Mikaelsons- whether it was going to see a show, going to dinner, or simply spending time together watching street performers. And, surprisingly, Caroline was always invited. By the second week, Finn stopped coming along, though Kol was all too happy to tag along; she did notice that Niklaus never showed up, and that Elijah always seemed to be in charge of such things.

Week four- the end of the first month of college- was when things shifted subtly. Caroline and Rebekah were out a bit later, auditioning for a production in the city of _Dracula__._ Not that it was anything huge, but they'd passed posters advertising the play, which was sponsored by a nameless benefactor backing a Manhattan theater group. A discussion with a few of their main professors had solidified that _if_ they managed parts, they could show proof of rehearsals and count the actual performance nights towards credits. (The joys of majoring in Drama!) Rebekah had read for Lucy, while Caroline had read for Mina, as well as tried for lesser roles as the vampire wives. (Back-up plans, of course.) They had called Katherine to tell her they'd be late, only to find out Kat was actually out to dinner with Elijah. They didn't expect anyone to be in the dorm when they got back, and that led to Rebekah nearly screaming when she opened the door and saw a man she didn't recognize lounging on Caroline's bed.

"Who the bloody hell are you?!" she hissed as Caroline peered around her and squeaked with surprise.

_"Tyler?!"_ She pushed past Rebekah as the man slowly rose from the bed, grinning and holding his arms out. Caroline nearly tackled him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and clinging to him. "Oh my God, what are you doing here? I thought you were in California! Uhm, Bekah, this is Tyler. My boyfriend?" The blonde was sheepishly untangling herself from Tyler's embrace, turning back towards her still-stunned roommate. Instead of looking happy, Rebekah placed her hands on her hips, scowling.

"He should have called first. Talk about _rude_, what on earth were you thinking?! You broke into our dorm!" Tyler still had an arm looped around Caroline's waist, but he managed to look half-ashamed, shrugging slightly.

"I wanted to surprise Care. I mean, it's not like I'm some creep or something," he mumbled, tugging Caroline closer. "I missed my girl. Is that so horrible?"

"Sure shows in how much you call her." Clearly, Bekah still didn't like him. Caroline knew he hadn't made the best of impressions, and even when she'd laid out the entirety of the relationship for her new friends, they'd seemed wary, certain things would end badly. As overjoyed as she was to see him here, she _did_ have to admit that sneaking into their dorm was a bit much, and she wasn't as happy as she probably should have been. Because, seriously, she hadn't seen him since graduation. The scent of his cologne brought with it the feeling of familiarity and comfort, and the way it felt to be against him, wrapped in his somewhat _possessive_ embrace did make her feel a bit better- but it was almost like the same comfort an old friend would offer. Not a boyfriend.

"Don't think that's your business, now, is it?" And there it was- Tyler's short temper. She could hear the low warning in his voice as he watched Rebekah with a scowl, his grasp on her tightening almost painfully. _Ugh, not this._

"Of course it is. Caroline's my friend."

"That doesn't mean you should stick your nose where it doesn't belong." Caroline pulled from his embrace, smiling somewhat nervously as she stepped between the two.

"Hey, now, let's not fight, okay? Please?" The latter was directed at Rebekah with a somewhat pleading look, leaving the other blonde sighing and waving her hand dismissively. Caroline reached to snag Tyler's hand, pulling him towards the door. "We're gonna go on a walk, 'kay? I have my phone on me. I'll text you if I'm going to be late, promise."

"Fine, but if he thinks of doing or saying anything stupid..." Rebekah flopped onto her bed in that effortlessly graceful way she had, reaching for one of the books stacked beside her bed. "He should remember that you are nearly family to me, and as such, to my brothers. _All four of them_."

"Er... right." Before Tyler could respond to Rebekah, Caroline was dragging him out of the room as quickly as possible- because to be quite honest, she didn't need the drama.

* * *

The moon was high in the sky above them as they walked through campus, idly exhausting every form of small-talk possible over loosely clasped hands. Caroline was bursting with questions, but she wasn't sure where to start- it wasn't until they'd found an all-night coffee shop not far from the actual classrooms and sat down with their orders that she was really prepared to dive into it all. "You were gone all summer. I know you had your reasons, but showing up like this- I mean, you kind of should have called." He'd been griping yet again about how Rebekah had treated him, and she stared down at the cup in her hands, refusing to glance across the table at him. She could feel the weight of the silence that followed, his irritation all too easy for her to sense after so long with him.

"So, what, you don't want me around here or something?" _Implications. Assumptions._ Tyler's voice was laden with them, causing her to shoot him an incredulous look.

"Seriously?! Twist my words around a bit more, why don't you? Look, _I_ am not the one who's been all over hell and creation for _fun_, I've been back home in Mystic Falls, and then here, focusing on my education." She sighed, dropping her face in her hands. "What do you want from me, Tyler?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing!" he snapped, and when she lifted her head, one of his was gripping the edge of the table tightly. "You bitch because I'm out traveling-"

"I do not bitch!"

"-and then I come to surprise you, and suddenly, your roommate acts like a _cunt_ and you can barely look at me! What the hell, Care?!" He continued on as though she hadn't spoken, looking frustrated with her. "And what've you even said to them about me? She instantly acted like I'm the worst boyfriend out there!"

"Well, you aren't winning any boyfriend-of-the-year awards right now!" she fired back, frowning. "I never said that I don't want you here, but when I was _begging_-"

"I was busy!" Tyler groaned, shaking his head. "I told you that!"

"Busy with what?!" Their voices were rising, causing a few people around them to glance over out of curiosity, but before he could answer, a brunette was coming to flop into the seat beside him, smiling. His reaction was interesting, to say the very least- he instantly slammed his mouth shut, shooting her a _look_ before glancing over, seeming to gauge Caroline's reaction to the brunette's words.

"Hey, Ty, I'm glad I ran into you, listen..." And then, once she realized Caroline was staring at her incredulously, "Oh. Uhm, hi. I'm interrupting something, aren't I?" She bit her lip, glancing between the two, before turning her full attention to Caroline. "You must be his friend Caroline, right? Tyler's told me about you."

_Friend. _Caroline's eyes shot to Tyler, narrowing, and he opened his mouth, probably about to explain- not that she'd give him the chance.

"_Girlfriend_, actually." Her lips curved into a cold smirk. "I haven't heard a single thing about you, actually- who are you, again?"

"Oh, I'm just his travel buddy. My name's Hayley. We ran into each other in Spokane- I was tracking down my birth family, 'cause I'm adopted, and he offered to help." The 'girlfriend' comment didn't seem to really phase her, but that didn't make Caroline like her any more, or feel any less suspicious, especially with the 'travel buddy' comment. Jealousy had always been an issue with her. Caroline was an insecure, near-neurotic control freak, and she knew that. They were her biggest flaws. To find out her boyfriend had apparently been traveling with this girl without telling her looked absolutely _horrible_ in her eyes, and the fact that Hayley had first referred to her as Tyler's 'friend' didn't make things look any better. Cold smirk still in place, Caroline grabbed her drink and rose, stepping away from the booth as Tyler began to rise.

"Oh, no, _no_, Tyler, stay and talk to your travel buddy. Call me in like three months. You know, since that's all I ever seem to get, anyways." With that, she turned on her heel, ignoring the fact that he was calling for her to wait as she stalked out of the coffee shop. People were staring, but she didn't give a damn. Seriously? Did he think she was stupid? She fumbled in her purse with her free hand for her phone, huffing a sigh as she heard running steps on the sidewalk behind her.

_"Caroline, seriously, wait!"_ She whirled to face him, her eyes holding the fire that only a scorned woman could boast. It was enough to make him pull up short, looking guilty. "Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about her, but I knew you'd react like this!"

"Oh, that's bullshit, Tyler!" she snapped. "She called me your _friend!"_

"So what?!" The look on her face said more than she could put into words, and Tyler sighed, stepping forward to put his hands on her arms. "Care, it's not what you think. Please, just let me explain." Despite the itching temptation to yank the top off of her coffee and throw it in his face, she stilled under his touch, glaring at him in silence. He wouldn't get another word out of her until she had some sort of explanation, and that much was obvious. With a frown, he let his hands fall away. "I ran across her in Spokane. She needed help finding her family, and I- I get it, you know? I lost my father, my mother, so when she said she wanted to find hers... Look, I know you're the jealous sort, so I kept our calls short so you wouldn't hear her, and that's why I was busy. But that's all." His gaze softened as he spoke. "I love _you_. You're the only girl in the world for me. You know that."

"Do I?" she snapped. "You didn't even trust me enough to-"

"I didn't want to worry you, or ruin your last summer before college! I brought her here to _introduce_ you to her, I swear!" Still uncertain, Caroline stayed silent for a long moment, studying him closely. He didn't look like he was lying, but what if he was? What if her seeing Hayley was a total fluke and he was just covering his tracks? But when he reached to brush gentle fingers along her cheek, her stubbornness crumbled away. If she always acted like this, every relationship was doomed to fail. Jealousy had been why she and Matt had broken up. She was lucky to have Tyler, lucky that he seemed able to put up with her ridiculous flaws and stick things out, despite their fights.

"Fine," she finally sighed. "I trust you."

"Yeah?" A grin split his features, and she managed a weak laugh, causing him to pull her into a hug.

"Yeah. I love you. I'm sorry I'm such a jealous freak." He pressed a kiss atop of her head as she rested her head against his chest, and though she should have felt relieved the fight was over- because maybe things could go to some semblance of normalcy between them now- there was something in the back of her mind that was bugging the hell out of her. Something she wasn't about to bring up, because she couldn't stand another fight, not tonight.

_He didn't even say he was sorry- and I shouldn't have been the one to apologize._


	4. Chapter 4

Forgiving Tyler had seemed easy- in a sense. And it had _seemed_ like the right thing to do. Even if, when he walked her back to her dorm with promises of calling the next day to make plans, he'd gotten a bit disgruntled at the fact that she told him he'd have to work around _her_ plans for the evening. Caroline had tried to explain that it was a family thing, and that the Mikaelsons had pseudo-adopted her since her parents were both quite a distance away, but Tyler wasn't happy, and she could tell as much. He left her with a huff at her door, and she stared after him for a long moment, her face screwed up into a disappointed scowl. God, when had he gotten so _possessive?_ He'd had a tendency of it before, but it seemed a bit much now- or maybe she just wasn't used to it anymore.

The blonde should have expected the pounce when she closed the door behind her. Both Katherine and Rebekah were still awake, pouring over Katherine's laptop and murmuring about the wedding in two months, but their eyes had shot to her the second she'd walked in. Now that the door was closed, Katherine leaned over, snagged her arm, and dragged her to join them on her bed. "Details, now. King of the Douchebags is back, and you're all cozy with him."

"Did you just call him a-" Caroline cut herself off abruptly at the look she got from Katherine.

"Oh, please. With how he's been treating you? Yeah, I did. And I'll continue to do so because, from what Bekah told me, he's an even bigger douche than I initially thought," the brunette grumbled, closing the laptop and setting it aside. "So what happened? What did we miss?" With a sigh, Caroline started in on a run-down of the night, but had to stop herself at the outcry from both of her friends when she got to what had happened when Hayley had interrupted their argument. "You're kidding!"

"She seriously called you his _friend?_ Red flag, right there. _Please_ tell us you dumped him," Rebekah interjected, looking ready to make heads roll. "Where is he? When I tell Kol and 'Lijah-"

"You're not telling anyone, because I didn't dump him!" Caroline actually dropped her eyes when she said it, blushing. "I couldn't. He came after me when I walked out, explained that he just... knew how jealous I tend to get, so he didn't want to worry me. And jealousy ruined another relationship of mine, and he _seemed_ honest, okay? I just..." She could feel the shock of her friends, couldn't help that it made her feel pathetic and small, couldn't help that she felt _stupid_ after all of that. With outside opinions, she was beginning to wonder if maybe she'd been too forgiving. "I'm- I'm this insecure, _neurotic_ freak, and he still loves me, and I probably overreacted. So yeah. I forgave him."

"You don't want to be alone," Bekah mused softly, and Caroline shot her a scathing, hurt look.

"No! That isn't it! I do love Tyler! We're just at a rough spot, that's all. I've been with him for over two years, now, I can't just let it all fall apart..." For a long moment, there was no response, and Caroline closed her eyes with a sigh. When Rebekah finally spoke, she was surprised that it didn't seem to fit the conversation at all.

"Hey, we're changing plans tomorrow." When she opened her eyes again, she was surprised to see Bekah had her phone pressed to her ear; Kat was watching Caroline almost pityingly, shaking her head. "You know all the good parties, don't you, brother? Good. ...yes, of course, we'll drag 'Lijah along and make him the sober one so he can take us home. I don't care where it is, but we need some fun. Care's asshole of a boyfriend showed up- no. _No,_ you can't take your baseball bat to his head." Caroline's jaw dropped.

"What are you doing?!" Rebekah waved a hand dimissively.

"Hey- _hey_. Don't. Invite. Nik. I mean it, Kol! Right, okay. See you tomorrow." When she hung up, she was looking accomplished. "Tomorrow, we're forgetting that little twat and we're partying. _No arguments,_" she said firmly as Caroline opened her mouth. "Tyler isn't invited, either. It's a Mikaelson night."

* * *

Caroline knew she shouldn't have felt guilty- it was just a party off-campus, and Tyler had told her that he was busy, so she could go off and have her dinner with the Mikaelsons. Except she hadn't told him about the party, she'd just said she had plans with her roommates' family, and that much was weighing on her chest like the scarlet 'A' must have weighed on Hester Prynne's chest. It wasn't like she was cheating on him, but deceiving him in any manner seemed so _wrong_. They'd only been amongst the bustle of the lively partygoers for an hour, and yet this was the third time Rebekah was pulling her aside, asking her why she looked so down.

"I'm fine," she repeated for what had to be the tenth time. "Seriously." Her gaze flickered from her friend, scanning the room and finding each Mikaelson in turn; Elijah was off to the side with Katherine, watching everything with a critical and wary eye. Kol had some girl from Katherine's classes in a corner, leaning over her and flashing her a flirtatious smile that absolutely dripped with lecherous intent. Finn, surprisingly, had tagged along, but he was sitting on one of the couches that had been pushed aside in the living room, sipping at the red cup he held and watching the dancing and chatting partiers with a look of distinct disdain on his face. (He seriously looked as though he'd smelled something rotten.) Before she'd come to check on Caroline, Rebekah had been dancing with a guy whose name Caroline still hadn't managed to catch- the self-same one that had an arm wrapped around her waist from behind, leaning his chin on her shoulder and holding out a red cup to Caroline with his free hand.

"You don't look fine, you know. Even I can tell, and we're strangers. Come on. I'll even give up my dance partner," he offered, pairing his words with a surprisingly sweet smile. "Bekah's worried about you."

"I am," the blonde agreed, taking the cup the man was offering and pressing it into Caroline's hands. Caroline glanced down at the beer within before sighing.

"Just go on, okay? Go have fun. Don't let me ruin it for you," she told them, waving a hand dismissively. Rebekah huffed, but with a roll of her eyes, she was grabbing the guy and pulling him back towards the next room, where the music was so loud, nothing else could possibly be heard unless you were right beside someone and they were shouting. It wasn't so bad in here, of course, which made it easier for Caroline to simply lose herself in her thoughts as she watched everyone else having fun. (Not counting Finn, but she really wasn't all that fond of the guy.) Katherine even had Elijah smiling now, leaning down to kiss her before turning his eyes towards Caroline with a questioning look. She half-smiled and shrugged. She was fine. She really was. She'd just be having more fun if Tyler was here, that was all.

In all honesty, she wasn't quite certain what drew her eyes to the particular corner that caught her attention next- it took a long moment of staring before she realized what she was seeing. She couldn't hear the couple there, had probably overlooked them many times, but something made her look again, and then _stare._ Something in her mind broke through the haze of the multiple drinks she'd had, slamming hard and making her jaw drop. It must have been obvious, because soon, she could faintly hear Katherine at her elbow with Elijah, asking what was wrong. "Oh, my... _Oh my God._" Her fingers tightened around her cup, which someone quickly tugged from her grasp before she made the contents spill everywhere.

"Care? What's going on? Who is that?" Caroline barely heard Kat's continued prodding; she pushed past her roommate, stalking across the room as her heart hammered in her chest. She had to be mistaken. This couldn't be what she thought it was. She was seeing things because her roommates had planted doubts, that was all, it was just- but the second her hand fell on the guy's shoulder, he turned, and there was absolutely no doubt as to what she'd seen. It was Tyler, and mere moments prior, she'd seen him _all over_ the brunette that had been half-concealed by his back. _Hayley._

"Shit," was all he managed before there was a crack like a whip, and Caroline's hand was burning from how hard she'd slapped him.

"Seriously?! Oh my God! Oh my _fucking_ God!_ What the fuck-_" It was another scene similar to the coffee shop- people were turning, having heard the slap, but unlike then, others were beginning to move _towards_ them, morbidly curious and not caring how obvious it was. Tyler grabbed her arms roughly before she could slap him again, wearing a serious _I've fucked up_ expression that almost made her laugh.

"Care, I can explain-"

"Let me go!" she screamed, trying to yank from his hold as his fingers tightened around her arms. "You piece of shit! They were right, _they were right,_ you've been fucking that _slut_, you disgusting asshole!" Her hand ached from hitting him, her eyes burned with unshed tears, and her cheeks were on fire from the sheer _shame_ of finding out she'd fallen for his excuses so easily. She should have known he was lying. Everything had been falling apart since he left after graduation, but she hadn't wanted to face it, and now this- he'd thought she'd be busy out at dinner, so he'd thought he could get away with this? No. No. This was it. She wasn't taking any more of his shit, she couldn't.

"Stop! Listen to me, damnit!" he growled; his hold on her was bruising, but suddenly, he was releasing her as another hand came from seemingly nowhere to wrap around his neck in a vice-like grip. Caroline stumbled back into the waiting arms of Katherine and Rebekah, staring as the owner of that hand- Elijah- slammed Tyler into the corner he'd been screwing around with Hayley in. Hayley was attempting to creep away through the crowd unnoticed, but Caroline was absolutely furious, and she tore out of her roommates' arms the second she spotted her, shoving through the crowd and snatching her by her hair to pull her back.

"Bitch!" It was like a battlecry. Caroline's fist made contact with the whore's nose, hard enough that she felt a _crack_ upon impact, and suddenly, the crowd was far more interested in them than in the sight of the eldest Mikaelson throwing Tyler to the ground. The two women were suddenly in a full-on fight, and not your normal 'girl' fight; punches were thrown, Caroline kicked her to the ground and was instantly on top of her, taking every ounce of her anger and hurt out on the stupid little slut that had been Tyler's fuck buddy for _God only knew how long_. It didn't last long, strong arms securing themselves around her waist and pulling her back even as she fought to go after Hayley again, Kol's voice soft but urgent in her ear.

"I understand, pet, I'd love to watch, but someone's called the police, we need to leave and _now_." That much managed to get through her anger, tears streaming down her face as she watched Hayley picking herself up and scrambling for the door, nose and lip both bloody from Caroline's assault. She jerked from Kol's grasp as he turned to call to his brother- wait, _brothers?_ "'Lijah! Nik! We have to go, cops!" She turned, confused, only to find Elijah was no longer the deliverer of punishment- she'd find out later that he had only meant to make Tyler let her go and then leave, but apparently, Niklaus had also been at the party. She hadn't seen him, but once everything began to fall apart, he'd been all too willing to jump in and go after Tyler. Why, she wasn't sure, but Elijah was now holding him back from Tyler, trying to push him towards the door. The mention of the cops had both Mikaelson brothers looking up as Rebekah and Katherine appeared by Caroline, grabbing her and pulling her through the crowd that was scrambling to leave.

The whole of the Mikaelson group was a few blocks away before they stopped, Katherine urging Caroline to sit on a bench so she could check her over as Elijah tugged off his suit jacket (yes, he'd totally worn a suit to the party, though he always seemed to be wearing suits, a strange quirk Caroline actually found as a comforting constant) and draped it over her shoulders. He waved Katherine aside as Finn and Klaus argued a short distance away, kneeling in front of Caroline and touching her chin lightly to make her look at him. She was an absolute mess, her makeup having run from the tears and her own lip bloody and swollen from a well-aimed punch on Hayley's part. Her head ached- some combination of a blow to her temple and the headache from the stress- and she felt shaky and unbalanced as Elijah sighed and shook his head.

"Women of passion are this family's weakness, it seems," he murmured, earning him a confused look from the blonde. He chuckled. "Fire, Caroline. You're filled with it. Do you feel dizzy at all?"

"A bit," she admitted, dropping her eyes. "'m not usually like that. I was just... angry, really angry. And hurt."

"And well within her rights to be!" Rebekah snapped as she sat beside her friend, looping an arm around her shoulders. "Can you believe him?! 'Lijah, you should have let Nik have his fun, that prat _deserved_ it-"

"Father would kill him if he wound up in jail," Elijah shot back almost lazily. Katherine was pacing nearby, looking agitated, while Kol left the group in favor of joining his arguing brothers. He stepped up beside Klaus, his voice low, but from his gestures, it was clear he was arguing against Finn. Finn finally threw up his hands, turning and stalking off alone as Klaus yelled after him.

"You're just a sackless idiot! She needed our help, Finn!" Finn didn't respond to him, and as Caroline watched, Klaus turned, sporting an already-darkening black eye for the fight he'd jumped into. He caught her watching and started to step towards her, but Kol caught his arm, shaking his head. A few more words were exchanged before Klaus shrugged his brother off, undeterred, and came to join the group by the bench. "How are you feeling, sweetheart?" he murmured, catching her eyes and refusing to look away. Stubbornly, she dropped her own gaze, licking a trace of blood from her lips.

"Fine. Can I go home, please? I just want to sleep." There was a long silence, and when she looked up, she saw everyone else exchanging looks. "What?"

"Home may not be the best place," Elijah told her gently. "He knows where your dorm is."

"I can bunk for a few nights with my bat," Kol offered, having joined them. Elijah shook his head.

"No... Father's out of town for a few weeks, and Mother will be glad to be of assistance. We'll all go back to the mansion, at least for tonight. We have plenty of spare rooms, or you can share Rebekah's." He rose, offering a hand to Caroline, but she hesitated.

"I can't ask- Tyler isn't _dangerous_, he's just-" She faltered, the ache in her arms reminding her of how rough he'd been.

"You're part of our family, or as good as. Come on, Care," Rebekah pressed, her voice soft. "We'll get cleaned up, grab comfortable clothes, commandeer the sitting room and watch a few comedy movies by the fire with hot chocolate. How does that sound?" After a long moment, Caroline gave a faint smile and nodded.

"Yeah, alright."


End file.
